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What Did You Say?
Since April 1, 2003, we have screened more than nine hundred children – virtually all the first graders in Santa Rosa de Copan. Of these children, thirty percent had to have their ears cleaned due to occlusion of the ear canal by wax and dirt before testing could be done. One percent had differing levels of hearing loss. Seven percent had undetected ear infections. This is the first year that all first graders have been screened. CAMO is committed to training teachers and parents in early detection of hearing problems. Due to the volume and the tremendous need of this service, we have added one full time assistant to the Audiology Technologist. Our cost of the screening program is approximately $3.00 per child.
Honduran doctors and nurses have been watching us. For the last 10
years, we have been steadfast in our mission to provide doctors and nurses
with the physical tools, equipment, education and other resources they
need to treat their population. This was always done within their
work schedule and place of governmental hospital employment. But
that is changing. Our volunteerism has become contagious, and these former
recipients are no longer standing on the sidelines. Instead,
they have given CAMO one of the greatest compliments they could ever bestow
upon us, their willing hearts. These medical professionals have now become
volunteers, going out to treat people in villages where their medical specialties
do not exist. The specialists are doctors in OB/Gyn, Pediatrics, Eye Surgery,
and Internal Medicine, along with nursing staff. We arrange
with the community a school or building we can use for the day, and each
doctor sets up a temporary clinic. Each physician’s goal is to see
at least 30 patients. The first visit had amazing results.
The above procedures were accomplished over a 12-hour period in a small poor community. The mayor and the community helped to identify the patients that needed to be seen. You would think after 12 hours of seeing this amount of patients, the physicians might be reluctant to do it again. Not so! They came back so excited about their ability to make a difference that they have since visited two other villages and have scheduled a trip every month. They have acquired the “bug” of volunteerism and the satisfaction and a job well done.
Look Mom, I can breathe! Meet two young men, who 5 years ago would have died. Wilmer Alexander Mendoza and Jose Alberto Hernandez. Both young men were diagnosed with Guillain-Barre. Wilmer (right) is 17 years old. On the 6th of May he came
to Hospital Regional de Occidente with extreme
Imagine ONE enclosed gym for over 1 million people The City of Santa Rosa de Copan has a population, including suburbs, of 43,000. Of this population, more than forty percent are under the age of twenty-one. The western one-third of Honduras has over 1 million people, and this entire population does not have a single enclosed gym. Not even the schools have a gym! This is in a region that has a rainy season of up to six months. The community has been working hard for 11 years to build a public gym and was able to put a roof over this facility two years ago. The building has the center floor to play basketball, but the rest of the facility is incomplete with mud floors. The estimated cost is $68,000 to finish the electrical wiring, plumbing installation, floors and the walls. I do not know about your community, but here in Orrville we have eight enclosed gyms for a population of a little more than 8,000. Children in Honduras need – and deserve -- a safe place to play. In Santa Rosa we have approximately 17,000 young people who need this facility, and it is estimated that there are 500 street children. All the schools in the region would use this facility. The problem is, the need is so great that that the demand on the gym will be overwhelming. Many of the schools and other volunteers are using the facility and developing programs that can be done in the gym. We can provide so many activities that will build character and team working concepts that will be vital in the lives of these children and young adults. Please help us with this project. We would like to see this completed by February 2004.
Joy takes hold  Mark
Gorman and Jorge have been working closely for the last two and a half
years. Jorge is able to make below-the-knee, above-the-knee and arm
prosthetics. For the next two years he will be trained in orthotics.
The prosthetic laboratory is in its third year of growth of Prosthetics
with networking to stateside sponsored educational programs.
The people who come to us have such great needs. This young lady
at age 16 went to visit her sister. She was sitting on a wall, visiting
with a cousin, when a car hit the wall. She lost one leg and the other
leg had to be amputated One day I asked Jorge about his work. His eyes became wet, and he blinked
several times to hold back the tears. Jorge then started to share
the story of the transformation of then 6-year-old Jose Leopold Rodriquez.
“Jose’s mother brought him to see me after both legs were amputated due
to a birth defect and circulatory problem. Both the child and the
mother were crying, for the father did not want the child. The mother
was suffering the pain of a parent who loves her child with all her heart,
and at the same time the pain of a wife dealing with rejection by a husband
she desired to please. The father had told them both that they were
of no use and a source of his suffering. Today, two years later,
little Jose is 8 and uses prosthetic legs to walk to school every day.
He plays with the other children! More importantly, his father brings
him
to his appointments for adjustments or repair of his legs. In his
father’s eyes he is no longer a source of disappointment and pain but a
source of great joy.”
Crisis = Opportunity
More than Equipment This project provides the public health systems equipment maintenance department (CENAMA) with a vehicle that gives engineers a mobile workspace. This vehicle is capable of traveling across the mountainous Honduran terrain, and it provides adequate space for engineers to diagnose and repair medical equipment. Four biomedical engineers have been traveling throughout Honduras and have been successful in repairing equipment on-site. Visits Made April 2003 - July 2003 Choluteca Hospital 35 different medical equipment repaired Santa Rosa 17 different medical equipment repaired El Progresso 28 different medical equipment repaired La Ceiba 41 different medical equipment repaired Total Equipment Recuperated 156 pieces recovered.
On average, replacing a piece of medical equipment costs $2,000. Without repair, none of this equipment served its purpose. The value is estimated at $312,000.00. But the value of human life and medical service made possible – this is absolutely immeasurable. Special thanks to the University of Texas at Austin, Dr. Kenneth Diller, and Rotary Clubs throughout the USA who were involved in the donation of funds for this project.
Neonatal Resuscitation Program In the United States, all healthcare professionals who care for newborn infants are required to be  certified
in the Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP), a program created by the American
Academy of Pediatrics and the American Heart Association to prevent birth
asphyxia. Birth asphyxia (low oxygen to the brain at time of delivery)
accounts for approximately 19% of 5 million neonatal deaths that occur
worldwide annually; rapid intervention with NRP techniques have been shown
to save lives and prevent brain injury in more than a million newborn children
each year. Honduras, along with many other developing countries,
does not have a national system for NRP certification. As a result,
children with birth asphyxia suffer from cerebral palsy, mental retardation
or even death. Until recently, this was considered by many to be
an acceptable result in Sta. Rosa de Copan. Due to insufficient resources
and inadequate education in NRP, the nurses and doctors responsible for
the care of the newborns at Hospital de Occidente were unable to prevent
birth asphyxia and its consequences in the vast majority of complicated
deliveries.
However, since February 2001 the situation has begun to improve. Through an invitation from CAMO and local physicians, Susan Edwards, RN, has come to Santa Rosa for 2 weeks every year to begin training nurses who care for newborn infants in NRP. The program continued in August of 2003 with two additional classes. Kerri Fitzgerald, MD, and Katie Bucklen, MD, senior pediatric residents from the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh spent two weeks in Sta. Rosa training physicians, medical students, nurses and Red Cross Volunteers in NRP and certifying those with most experience to become instructors themselves. In total, 13 new NRP instructors from various hospitals across western Honduras and as far away as Tegucigalpa were certified, and an additional 7 participants from western Honduras are now certified NRP providers. Since Kerri and Katie are no longer needed as instructors, they’ve begun
planning an epidemiological assessment of their work. Future plans
include studies of the incidence of birth asphyxia before and after NRP
certification becomes the standard of care in Hospital de Occidente.
The hope is to use the data to encourage the Ministry of Health and National
School of Medicine to institute mandatory NRP certification for all health
care providers who care for newborn children.
KidronFolk Music Festival to return on 9/13/03  The
KidronFolk Music Festival returns to the Wesman farm near Kidron, OH for
its third year on Saturday, September 13, 2003. This outdoor event will
once again be a benefit for the Orrville, OH-based charitable organization
Central American Medical Outreach, which provides medical supplies, equipment,
training, and services to impoverished Central American countries. The
festival has been praised by previous performers Mustard’s Retreat, Alice
Peacock, and Connie Kaldor for its unique, warm, and intimate atmosphere.
Set in the beautiful rolling hills of Wayne County, KidronFolk 2003 will
be headlined by the critically acclaimed Indiana singer/songwriter and
Philo recording artist Carrie Newcomer. Ms. Newcomer, in the middle of
an extensive tour following the release of her definitive CD “The Gathering
of Spirits,” is recognized for delivering intelligent, passionate songs
with a rich, warm voice that has been characterized as being “…as dark
and luscious as Godiva chocolate.” Joining Carrie on the impressive KidronFolk
bill is national folk artist Darryl Purpose, known for his thoughtful narrative
lyrics and intricate guitar work, along with popular northeast Ohio musician
Jon Mosey with his bluegrass group “The Valley Mountain Boys,” and humorous
songwriter Tim Wallace. Completing the lineup is the award winning fiddle
group “River Crossing,” showcasing the amazing talents of young sisters
Amanda and Myra Morrison, and local favorites Tim Shue and David “Mandolin”
Miller. In addition to this fabulous collection of onstage performances,
KidronFolk 2003 will also feature a series of workshops conducted by Newcomer,
Purpose, Mosey, and Kelly Fleming. A food vendor will be on site throughout
the day for the purchase of delicious food items such as Italian sausage,
chicken breast, and steak sandwiches, hot dogs, French fries, and assorted
beverages. Ticket prices for 2003 have been reduced, and will include a
family package. Ticket information is available from the festival website
at www.kidronfolk.com, or by contacting the event promoters at 330-857-4820.
Smiles tell the story of Rural School receiving help When school is out in the USA, the children have used crayons and pencils that often times would be discarded. Thanks to interested teachers and good-hearted children, we are able to have ongoing supplies for the poor school. Also, vacation bible school groups have been helping with the school projects. This year we shipped more than 100 large boxes of school supplies to Honduras. These photos show the rural areas. You can also see the children who are receiving this help.
If you are interested in speaking for CAMO, please let
us know. We have a Power Point program computerized with music. The song
was composed and sung by local talent Becca Rossiter. If you need a program
for your group or club, call the office at 330-683-5956.
Calendar of events: August 21 -- Presentation: Orrville Exchange Club
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tested
for ability to hear. It is even more difficult to accurately describe
the expression on Paula’s face when two behind-the-ear hearing aids were
fitted. Suddenly, her world changed, and tears flowed down her face as
she heard a normal voice for the first time. Without the hearing aids one
would have to shout directly into her ears for her to hear. With the hearing
aid we found that she could hear eighty percent of the spoken word.
By touching, she was taught to take care of the hearing aids. Each
patient receives instruction on the care of the hearing aid. Amazingly,
while we were giving her instruction she expressed that we could speak
more softly. The Luis Braille School for the Deaf and Blind
in San Pedro brought Paula Escobar (pictured at right) to us. The
director of this school contacted Fundacion CAMO for help with the possibility
of donated hearing aids and testing. We agreed, and on the 19th of
May five patients from the school were brought to us. All five
patients received substantial benefits from the testing and proper fitting
of appropriate hearing aids.
weakness
in his legs and arms. Shortly thereafter, he lost the muscle strength to
breathe. He was placed on one of CAMO’s ventilators and supported
by the tubes and supplies provided by CAMO. This sustained his breathing
for one month and 15 days. His muscles slowly began to work
again and today he is breathing on his own and is able to move his hands
and feet. He receives therapy every day. His mother has not
left his side, and she is active in his care. He was never in an
Intensive Care, never laid on “American” specialty beds or mattresses,
but received plain old-fashioned nursing care. Wilmer never developed
a pressure sore or an infection, although he was in a ward with 30 other
men. As a former Intensive Care nurse and Emergency Room nurse, this
is an example of the remarkable care of very dedicated Honduran nurses
and doctors.
Jose (left),
19 years old, was at work and attending college when he developed a high
fever and general weakness with difficulty breathing. Soon his legs
stopped moving and his arms would not work. He was brought to Hospital
Regional de Occidente and quickly placed on the ventilator, which sustained
his life for six months and 4 days. Today with a smile as wide as
his face and breathing on his own, he talks about his experience.
He speaks of his gratitude to the nurses and doctors, and he looks at the
ventilator as if it is a dear friend. He says, this machine was my lungs,
it saved my life. He lifts his hand as he points, we smile and I
know that no matter how hard the last 10 years of development of CAMO has
been it has all been worth it. Jose also does not have a single pressure
sore is undergoing daily physical therapy. It will be a long process,
but he has started moving his arms and legs for the first time in months.
in the hospital. At age 19 she came to us in a wheelchair, dependant on
her mother for help to navigate the city’s cobblestone streets and sidewalks
that have no provisions for those in wheelchairs. Through
the prosthetics program, a seemingly hopeless situation has changed! Today,
the same girl walks unassisted in her home. When she goes outside, she
uses crutches to help her on the uneven streets.
